Unstoppable Joy - Part 2

Bryan Chapell: There is tremendous work to be done that should just encourage us all, excite us all. I'm part of the saints, I'm part of the people of God. As God is using me, as I am committing myself to generosity and prayer, God is using this far beyond what we would ask or imagine, and it has been his nature all along.
Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan shares the second half of a lesson from Philippians chapter one. As Paul writes in prison, he declares that he can rejoice because God has placed him there to proclaim Christ and advance the message of the gospel. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com. And while you're there, look for Pastor Bryan's new book, Are We Living in the Last Days? With a balanced biblical explanation about the Book of Revelation and Christ's return, Pastor Bryan will help you understand the hope that unites all Christians. Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the second half of the lesson, Unstoppable Joy.
Bryan Chapell: On this Sunday, let me ask that you would look in your Bibles to the book of Philippians, chapter one, as we will be looking at verses 12 through 18. Let me ask that you would stand as we would honor God's word. Philippians chapter one and verse 12, Paul writes, "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice." We'll finish that sentence next week. For now, let's pray together. Father, teach us what it means to be a people in whom you are working beyond what we would expect, beyond the trial, beyond the hardship, to actually believe that you are working so in our lives for the advance of the gospel. We are a community that feels some stress now of employment, of industry, of economy. There are others who feel much pressure from family circumstances that are very hard. But in all, we would pray that you are working in such a way that our own testimony might be a week from now or a month from now or 20 years from now. What happened to me really served to advance the gospel. Give us the eyes of faith and hearts made strong because we have heard your word. We ask in Jesus' name, amen. Please be seated. God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful, preserving and governing of all his creatures and all their actions. I think what that means for us, not just from an ancient story, but what would it mean for those of you who are going through the job upheaval right now, or your family is under pressure such as you never knew, or your children in some way is at tension with you? You think this cannot possibly be good. It is not good, but all things can be worked together for good with hearts that say, "God, this is so hard, but I trust you." Because then the works of providence begin to work in such a way that it actually increases people's boldness for the gospel. Did you catch that in verse 14? "And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." One of the reasons they're bold is even they begin to see the works of providence. What, the palace guard believes now? There are saints in the household of Caesar? God's doing something. But the other thing that's happening is that boldness begets boldness. When you see people standing for the Lord against all odds, against the horrors of the world, when you see that, you say, "There's something real in what they believe. This Christianity thing is not just about appearance and prosperity and getting along. I mean, there's something real. These people are willing to sacrifice everything, risk everything to stand for their Lord despite horror in their lives. There must be something concrete and real to this gospel." And so, people become more committed, more bold to it. I think of it in my own life. In just a few days, I will be in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I've been there before. Some of you may remember the great tensions during what they called the troubles when Protestants and Roman Catholics murdered each other because of politics that paraded as religion. Being there just a couple of years ago, I was with a young pastor who's ministering in a part of Belfast where it's an older church, just a few older people left. I began to walk with this young pastor who's taken his family into a very troubled neighborhood. I walked with him on a Sunday morning as he began to collect his congregation, going to a set of apartments and knocking on a door. I'm a little scared because there's graffiti from militant gangs that are on the wall of the apartment building. He knocks on the door and as a woman greets him in her bedclothes, he says, "Mary, church is in 30 minutes. You need to get the kids, you need to come." Then we're driving along and he sees another young woman with her kids in a stroller. "Elizabeth, 20 minutes. You need to be done with your walk so you can come to church." And then as we're driving by what is their equivalent of a 7-Eleven, he sees one of the attenders of his church go inside and he knows what's going to go on. So he pulls up into the 7-Eleven, he goes to the liquor aisle, and he says, "Betty, this is not the answer. Church is in 10 minutes, you need to be there." I think, this is a bold man. And I think of how easy my life is and how much more willing I'm to be bold because I see people living in boldness for the sake of the gospel. It's what we recognize Paul says. When you believe in the providence of God, it's not only advancing the gospel, it's giving boldness to his people. And that providence is happening because we believe the gospel itself is powerful. It's not just that there's this blind providence. It's not just the equivalent of luck or fate. There is this working of God, and the way that he works is through his gospel. When we believe that this gospel has power, we are willing to proclaim it with this kind of boldness. The gospel power that's being expressed is odd to us. Do you remember the apostle says in verse 15, some are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry? Others are doing it out of love for me. And then he begins to describe more of that. Some are actually trying to hurt me by preaching the gospel. They think I've got too much fame. They think I'm getting too much attention. And so they are preaching the gospel so they'll get more prestige. They actually want to hurt me. They want my ministry to fail so that theirs will succeed. Like there's nobody in any church that ever did that. "I hope that ministry fails so that ours succeeds." Paul says, "I don't care because whether they are preaching the gospel for pretense or pure motives, what happens as a consequence?" Do you remember verse 18? "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I will rejoice." Listen, you preach the gospel for good motives or bad, as long as you preach the gospel, I'm going to cheer for you. I'm going to rejoice. Why? Because Paul is saying, this gospel has its own inherent power that is not based upon the virtue of the one who's doing it. There are people who are preaching out of wrong motives, and yet as long as they say what's true, the gospel's got the power to work into people's hearts. That's even true if you think about Paul. I mean, think about the virtue that's in the one writing here. He used to kill Christians, to persecute them, to separate husbands from wives, to separate mothers from their families, all for the sake of what he thought was a good cause. And now this same former murderer of Christians and persecutor of the church is in prison. Boy, there's a testimony for you. And yet Paul is saying, it does not matter as long as I am saying what is true of the gospel and others are saying what is true of the gospel. It has its power to advance in the world. Just a silly example, it's almost like if you say it does not matter if Jimmy Olsen holds the kryptonite or Lex Luthor holds the kryptonite, both are still dangerous to Superman, right? It's got its own power. It's not the virtue of the person or the nature of the person. It's saying to you and to me, we want to check out. My family knows me, they know my weaknesses. My coworkers know how I've messed up. People hear me when I cuss and get angry and they think I've got no way to share the gospel. Listen, I'm not saying that's a great way to share the gospel. I'm saying the gospel can work beyond you if you'll say it. I'm saying it has its own internal power. It has the power to save even people like us. That's the message. And so when Paul is saying, listen, I want you to know this gospel, whether you hear it from good people or bad people, if you'll hear the gospel, it's got the power to transform you. I know it from my own life in ways I don't want to bring up too often, but I need you to know. I know the conversion of my brother who is now in prison was a consequence of another man in the holding cell ministering to my brother when he was terrified and afraid. I recognized the man was in the holding cell because he was guilty of some crime too. And yet he was the one who took the words of the gospel and said them to my brother that led to his eternal salvation. It does not matter the virtue of the person. The virtue of the gospel is what we promote. And if we will say what the gospel is, if we will be true to its nature and content, then God is working beyond us to accomplish what he intends. And that is the great blessing. I just think of the people of courage who are willing to do that. In this town, if some of you know him, Jerry Trachak, Peoria Rescue Mission, and there are not many more courageous people on the face of the planet, I will tell you. I sometimes go with Jerry and I'm embarrassed. "Really, Jerry, would you say that to those people?" And he just does. And you say, "Praise God. I need to be as courageous as he." His trust in the gospel, taking to the down and outs, to the drug-addicted, to the people in the awfulest straits because he believes in the gospel. When you have that sort of profound belief in the power of the gospel itself, it makes you courageous for God's purposes, and that's his calling. He's not calling just special people, he's just calling people to be part of this belief in the profound nature of the gospel so that they will speak. We believe in the power of God's providence, the power of God's gospel. But ultimately, we have to believe if we're to be the church of Jesus Christ, in the power of God's people.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. Raising children to love the Lord can sometimes feel like a daunting task. The physical, mental, and emotional energy needed to engage with a child can also lead to feelings of inadequacy and doubt for parents. How then can you effectively talk with children about Jesus or demonstrate to them his love? Written by Pastor Bryan and his wife Kathy, Anyway and Always is a heartwarming children's book designed to help explain the love of Christ to a child. The Chapells present the promise of the covenant fulfilled by Christ in a personal and meaningful way for young children to understand. Page after page of beautiful illustrations complement Bryan and Kathy's captivating storytelling. Whether you read this as a bedtime story or share it around the family dinner table, this book is sure to become a favorite of children and parents alike. You can request your copy of Anyway and Always when you go online to unlimitedgrace.com or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: We believe in the power of God's providence, the power of God's gospel, but ultimately, we have to believe if we're to be the church of Jesus Christ, in the power of God's people. I recognize there's a couple of people on display here. I mean, there's the one kind of on stage, the apostle Paul. And we recognize that that person is being used despite an awful past and an embarrassing present. But he's still teaching us things, isn't he? The apostle Paul there in prison is teaching us don't waste your contacts. No, if this gospel is so powerful, if even hard things can be used, your hard things in life, if you're able to say, "This is so hard, but God, I still trust him." If that's your message to friend and family and coworker, then God says, "I can use that because I used Paul." So Paul's not wasting his contacts. He's speaking to the soldier that he's chained to. He's speaking to the emperor's household when he has opportunity. He's speaking to the brothers around him in the church of what God is doing. He's just not wasting his contacts. He believes as God has put this person in my life, there's a reason for that. And Paul is not wasting his crisis either, is he? "God, I'm in prison. Where'd you go? I'm done with you. I don't like this." Instead, he profoundly believes that if he is able to say from his heart, "God, this is so hard, but I trust you," that that message in itself is powerful for the sake of the gospel. And so he's not wasting his contacts, he's not wasting his crises. But Paul's not the only one on display here. Do you recognize the other people that are on display? Paul is writing to those at Philippi, and he's writing to those at Philippi for two major reasons. One of them, if we go to another portion of scripture to Acts 28, where it's actually describing Paul in prison, it says that he survives in that Roman chained house arrest by providing for his own expenses. As Kenneth Bae was required to raise his own food in the hard labor camp, Paul is required to raise his own expenses in order to survive under Roman house arrest. Where does that money come from? Do you remember verse five of this same chapter? Paul began to praise those at Philippi because they had been partners with him in the gospel from the first day until now. Even as he is writing, he is saying, "You have been my partners." And just to go into verse 19, what he concludes with, "For I know that through your prayers and the help of the spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance." Here are the people of God, supporting the apostle Paul in partnership, which is generosity of money, and at the same time in prayers. We're putting these things together so that Paul's ministry could not have gone forward, could not have done anything had it not been for the people of the church who believed they were part of the mission. I think of that on a Sunday where we promote so that you can see what you have helped do. This Unlimited Grace media, and see major cities across the country, 400 cities across the country, 40 to 60 nations across the world, and perhaps more to come. And I do not kid myself that this is because of me. If there had not been a generation before many of you here establishing the media facilities that we even have in this church, if there had not been people who brought their support a year ago to even enable us to launch in such a major way, if there had not been people praying for it, none of this would have happened. That whatever happens to a person for God's sake is actually because others have been partners and provided. I think of my wife and I think so much has been required of her to take care of kids in a ministry of my lifetime. I think of Sunday school teachers who prayed for me for decades in various places where we've been. And I think this is God using his people for his purposes. We think this is just one ministry? No, this is our partnership in the gospel that God is calling all of us into a lifestyle of generosity with the understanding that we are participants in the ministry of the gospel wherever he places us. And what God is doing is not just through me. I mean, do you recognize Pastor Greg prayed 70 missionaries that this church supports, and 85 percent of them, by the way, brothers and sisters, are out of this church? That God is doing a tremendous work as he's saying, "I'm not looking for a selfish people, but a selfless people who believe that as God is by his providence using his gospel through people, there is tremendous work to be done." That should just encourage us all, excite us all. I'm part of the saints, I'm part of the people of God. As God is using me, as I am committing myself to generosity and prayer, God is using this far beyond what we would ask or imagine, and it has been his nature all along. God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful, preserving and governing of all his people and all their actions. That's what God is doing. And the blessing for all of us, regardless of what we're facing in this moment of our lives, would be if we could a week or a month or 20 years from now, look back with a friend or a grandchild and be able to say these words of the apostle Paul: "I want you to know, it was hard. It was so hard. But what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." I think of Kenneth Bae, who was the longest serving American in a North Korean prison camp, and I remember Kenneth in my classroom. His English was not all that great. He was shy. He stayed in the back of the class. He did not contribute much. When he graduated from seminary, he had trouble finding a place to minister. His marriage shattered. It was so hard. He could not have dreamed that by his continuation in prayer for the people of North Korea, that he would be imprisoned for the cause of Christ, and that the focus of the entire world at some point would be, why is this man in prison and what does he stand for? And then Kenneth could write about it. I want my book to tell people that God is faithful. It was so hard, but I trusted God and the gospel advanced far beyond what he, you, or I could have ever anticipated. It is what we pray, what I pray for you, friends, family of God. I know some of you are going through misery right now. My prayer for you is that you could say, "It is so hard, but I trust God." And through that testimony, you will look back and say, "I want you to know what happened to me served to advance the gospel." Stand strong. Let nothing move you. Always be abounding in the work of the gospel because your labor is not in vain. This is the promise of God. This is the gospel we hold. Friends, before you continue with your day, I'd love the opportunity to pray for you. Let's do that together now. Lord, thank you for delivering us from slavery to sin. Help us really to believe in that deliverance so that we continue through this day presenting ourselves to you as ones who have been brought from death to life in Christ. May the privileges of grace grant us the power of love to live for you. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Guest (Male): That's Pastor Bryan Chapell, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If you've missed anything that you'd like to hear once again, just visit unlimitedgrace.com. And when you do so, you can sign up for Pastor Bryan's daily devotional sent right to your inbox. While you're there, also be sure to request a copy of the book from Dr. Bryan Chapell and his wife Kathy called Anyway and Always. We'll send you a copy right away as our way of saying thank you for your most generous financial support. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by his unlimited grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.